The body of Fadi al-Batsh, a Palestinian lecturer claimed as a member by Hamas who was gunned down in Malaysia at the weekend, was repatriated to Gaza and buried on Thursday.

Hamas chief vice chairman Khalil al-Hayyah told reporters at Rafah crossing on the arrival of the body of Hamas scientist "You came back Fadi with your body and soul to embrace the land of Palestine".

Israel has a long history of assassinating wanted militants, though it rarely acknowledges responsibility. Hamas Politburo Chief Ismail Haniyeh said on the same day that the Islamist movement "holds Israel responsible" for his death.

Liberman told the Arabic news site Elaph that "we did not assassinate him", and dismissed the allegation as a Cold War era fiction.

When asked who killed al-Batsh, the minister said: "Ask James Bond. maybe James Bond killed him like in the movies".

Ahmed Abu Hussein, 24, died on Wednesday at an Israeli hospital, almost two weeks after he was shot on April 13.

Israeli forces have killed 41 Palestinians, including two journalists and several children, since the protests began on March 30 near the Gaza-Israeli border fence.

Hussein was wearing a blue vest marked "Press" and a helmet marked "TV" when he was shot while standing amid a group of protesters.

In a statement Thursday, the Israeli military said "the circumstances regarding the injury of Ahmed Abu Hussein will be examined". He died Wednesday in an Israeli hospital near Tel Aviv.

The Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA) calls for the formation of an independent commission of inquiry into the killing of Palestinian journalists Ahmed Abu Hussein and Yasser Murtaja during their coverage of the peaceful return marches in the Gaza Strip. It said 17 lost legs and four lost fingers or parts of their upper limbs. "Allowing Israel to continue shooting unarmed protesters, under the pretense it is legal, will further undercut the global effort to protect human rights in the post-WWII era, while Palestinians are the ones being made to pay the price".

The Israeli military, in contrast, has said Hamas is using the protests as cover to damage the border fence and prepare to infiltrate and carry out attacks.